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Map of Belgium

Belgium is a country in Europe with its capital at Brussels, home to about 11.94 million people across 30,688 km². The interactive map below plots 10 cities and towns, 2 rivers, 2 mountain summits and 6 ports recorded for Belgium in YearMaps.

Population
11.94 million
#82 of 225 · World Bank, 2025
Area
30,688 km²
#142 by area
Capital
Brussels
Continent
Europe
389 people per km²

Interactive Map of Belgium

6.2

Centred on Brussels at 50.8353° N, 4.3314° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Belgium covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.8 million; its population density of 383/km2 (990/sq mi) ranks 22nd in the world and sixth in Europe. The capital and largest metropolitan region is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Belgium is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a complex federal system structured on regional and linguistic grounds. The country is divided into three highly autonomous regions: the Flemish Region (Flanders) in the north, the Walloon Region (Wallonia) in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle. Belgium is also home to two main linguistic communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking French Community, which constitutes about 40 percent of the population; a small German-speaking Community, comprising around one percent of the population, exists in the East Cantons. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Belgium is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy. It is one of the six founding members of the European Union, with its capital of Brussels serving as the de facto capital of the EU, hosting the official seats of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, and one of two seats of the European Parliament (the other being Strasbourg). Brussels also hosts the headquarters of many major international organisations, such as NATO.

In antiquity, present-day Belgium was dominated by the Belgae before being annexed into the Roman Empire in the mid first century BC. During the Middle Ages, Belgium's central location kept it relatively prosperous and connected both commercially and politically to its larger neighbours; it was part of the Carolingian Empire, the succeeding Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently the Burgundian Netherlands. Following rule by Habsburg Spain (1556–1714), the Austrian Habsburgs (1714–1794), and Revolutionary France (1794–1815), most of modern-day Belgium was incorporated into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands after the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Belgium (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Belgium
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Geography and Climate of Belgium

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. In recent years, longstanding tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. The capital city of Brussels is home to numerous international organizations, including the EU and NATO.

Location
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands.
Climate
Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy.
Terrain
Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast.
Highest point
Botrange 694 m.
Lowest point
North Sea 0 m.
Coastline
66.5 km.
Land borders
Total: 1,297 km; border countries: France 556 km; Germany 133 km; Luxembourg 130 km; Netherlands 478 km.
Natural resources
Construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land.
Land use
Agricultural land: 44.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 28.3% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.8% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 15.3% (2023 est.); forest: 22% (2023 est.); other: 33.6% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards
Flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes.
Geographic note
Crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the EU and NATO.
Languages
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%.
Religions
Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian, 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, nonbeliever/agnostic 20.2% (2018 est.)
Ethnic groups
Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)
Economy
High-income, core EU and eurozone economy; slow growth with weakened domestic consumption and export demand; high public debt and structural deficits linked to social spending; aging workforce with weak productivity growth and participation rates.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Belgium in Numbers

Population
11.94 million
2025
GDP
US$725.5 billion
2025
GDP per person
US$60,750
2025
Life expectancy
82.3 years
2024
Population growth
0.70% a year
2025
Population density
389 per km²
2024
Urban population
87.7%
2025
Surface area
30,689 km²
2024
Forest cover
22.0%
2024
Arable land
28.3%
2024
Access to electricity
100.0%
2024
Internet users
95.8%
2024

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Belgium in Depth

History

In his account of the Roman invasion of Gaul, Roman leader Julius Caesar noted that the original Belgae inhabited the northern part of Gaul extending from the Seine and Marne rivers to the Rhine. They therefore inhabited most of modern Belgium, and significant parts of France, the Netherlands, and Germany. He described the Belgae as the bravest of the Gauls, and attributed this to their distance from the Roman Province, minimal contact with merchants importing luxury goods, and their continual warfare with the neighbouring Germanic tribes across the Rhine. Within this broad region, Caesar referred to a specific area as "Belgium," which was politically dominant and located in what is now northern France.

Geography

Belgium shares borders with France (620 km; 390 mi), Germany (162/167 km), Luxembourg (148 km; 92 mi), and the Netherlands (450 km; 280 mi). Its total surface, including water area, is 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi). Before 2018, its total area was believed to be 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi). However, when the country's statistics were measured in 2018, a new calculation method was used. Unlike previous calculations, this one included the area from the coast to the low-water line, revealing the country to be 160 km2 (62 sq mi) larger in surface area than previously thought. Its land area alone is 30,494 km2 (11,774 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 49°30' and 51°30' N, and longitudes 2°33' and 6°24' E.

Economy

Belgium's strongly globalised economy and its transport infrastructure are integrated with the rest of Europe. Its location at the heart of a highly industrialised region helped make it the world's 15th largest trading nation in 2007. The economy is characterised by a highly productive work force, high GNP and high exports per capita. Belgium's main imports are raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, and oil products. Its main exports are machinery and equipment, chemicals, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, and foodstuffs.

The Belgian economy is heavily service-oriented and shows a dual nature: a dynamic Flemish economy and a Walloon economy that lags behind.

Demographics

As of 1 January 2024, the total population of Belgium according to its population register was 11,763,650. The population density of Belgium is 383/km2 (990/sq mi) as of January 2024, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world, and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe. The most densely populated province is Antwerp, the least densely populated province is Luxembourg. As of January 2024, the Flemish Region (Flanders) had a population of 6,821,770 (58.0% of Belgium), its most populous cities being Antwerp (545,000), Ghent (270,000), and Bruges (120,000).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Belgium (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Belgium: Key Facts

Key facts about Belgium
Official languagesDutch, French, German
Head of statePhilippe of Belgium
Head of governmentBart De Wever
Form of governmentfederation
Calling code+32
Internet domain.be
Highest pointSignal de Botrange
Lowest pointDe Moeren
Established4 October 1830

Facts from Wikidata Q31 (CC0).

History of Belgium: Empires and States

The atlas records 36 polities whose mapped territory included part of Belgium, from Roman Republic in 50 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Belgium, in chronological order
PolityPeriod here
Roman Republic50–32 BCE
The Roman Empire31 BCE – 461 CE
Gallic Empire261–282 CE
Western Roman Empire395–461 CE
Salian Franks439–509 CE
Merovingian Empire462–717 CE
Kingdom of the Franks462–849 CE
Burgundian Kingdom612–660 CE
Aquitaine661–673 CE
Carolingian Empire718–989 CE
Middle Franks850–899 CE
West Franks850–989 CE
Lower Burgundy860–869 CE
East Franks880–910 CE
Kingdom of Germany926–961 CE
The Holy Roman Empire926–1793 CE
County of Flanders990–1384 CE
Kingdom of France990–1762 CE
Vassalage of Kingdom of Bohemia to Holy Roman Empire1202–1452 CE
House of Luxembourg1260–1271 CE
County of Brabant1260–1430 CE
Holy Roman Empire Minor States1260–1793 CE
County of Holland1305–1362 CE
Duchy of Bavaria1363–1449 CE
Duchy of Burgundy1385–1481 CE
Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire1422–1458 CE
House of Habsburg1482–1515 CE
Habsburg Monarchy1482–1793 CE
Kingdom of Spain1516–1705 CE
The Spanish Empire1516–1705 CE
Dutch Republic1582–1587 CE
Iberian Union1582–1639 CE
The French Colonial Empire1673–1813 CE
First French Empire1805–1813 CE
Netherlands1815–1829 CE
Kingdom of Belgium1830–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Belgium

Belgium on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Belgium

A low-lying country in the Benelux, Belgium (Dutch: België, French: Belgique, German: Belgien) sits at the crossroads of Western Europe. It marries the historical landmarks for which the continent is famous with spectacular modern architecture and rural idylls. Its capital, Brussels, is home to the headquarters of the European Union.

Although Belgium is a relatively wealthy country, it is also one of the most politically complex countries in the world. Differences in language and culture between Flanders (the Flemish-speaking portion) and Wallonia (the French-speaking portion) have led to several far-reaching reforms, and this continuing antagonism makes Belgian politics so complex that even ordinary Belgians aren't able to make sense of what's truly going on. Despite all this, the two halves form a country that contains some of Europe's most attractive and historical cities, and is a true 'must-see' for any visitor to the continent.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Belgium (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Belgium

10 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Belgium
#NamePopulation
1Brussels1.74 million
2Antwerpen920,000
3Liège749,110
4Gent444,336
5Charleroi345,367
6Brugge146,469
7Namur106,284
8Mons91,277
9Hasselt69,222
10Arlon26,179

Highest Mountains in Belgium

2 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Belgium
#NameElevation
1Signal de Botrange694 m
2Vaalserberg321 m
Signal de Botrange
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Signal de Botrange

Mountain · 694 m

Signal de Botrange is a mountain rising to 694 metres (2,277 ft) in Belgium, in the Europe region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

Signal de Botrange is the highest point in Wallonia and Belgium, located in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes in French, Hohes Venn in German, Hoge Venen in Dutch), at 694 metres (2,277 feet). It is the top of a broad plateau and a road crosses the summit, passing an adjacent café. It is also the highest point in the Ardennes and in the European part of the Benelux.

For several decades a meteorological station was installed at Signal de Botrange. Since 1999, it was replaced by an automatic station of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium installed on Mount Rigi (scientific station of the High Fens - University of Liège), which is between the Signal and Baraque Michel which was formerly the highest point in Belgium prior to the annexation of the Eastern Cantons in 1919.

The summit is also the site of a 6-metre (20 ft) observation tower, and a 50-metre (160 ft) data relay station, and is the watershed for a number of rivers flowing through the Ardennes region.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Signal de Botrange (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
694 m (2,277 ft)
Global rank
#598 of 641 indexed
Region
Europe (#70)
Country
Belgium
Coordinates
50.5000°, 6.0900°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Signal de Botrange ranks #598 by elevation, below Eagle Mt (701 m) and above Ishpatina Ridge (693 m).

Ranges:
Ardennes (Europe), Vosges (Europe)
Neighbouring summits:
Vaalserberg (321 m), Buurgplaatz (559 m), Hohe Acht (747 m)
Settlements below:
Liège (39 km), Maastricht (49 km), Hasselt (67 km)

View on the live map

More about Signal de Botrange

Climate

Signal de Botrange experiences stronger winds than the centre of Belgium. Average and extreme temperatures are usually lower than at any other place in Belgium: the minimum temperature recorded (−25.6 °C [−14.1 °F]) does not, however, exceed the absolute record (−30.1 °C [−22.2 °F]), observed in the valley of the Lomme, at Rochefort during a temperature inversion. In winter, for three months, on average, the average temperature remains below 0 °C (32 °F).

Rainfall is much greater than most of the rest of the country, at an annual average of 1,450 mm (57 in) compared with 800 mm (31 in) in Uccle: there are over 200 days of precipitation per year (against just over 170 in Uccle). Maximum temperatures in summer rarely exceed 30 °C (86 °F).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Signal de Botrange (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Signal de Botrange: Key Facts

Key facts about Signal de Botrange
Topographic prominence119 m
Mountain rangeHigh Fens

Facts from Wikidata Q322824 (CC0).

Vaalserberg
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Vaalserberg

Mountain · 321 m

Vaalserberg is a mountain rising to 321 metres (1,053 ft) in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, in the Europe region. The summit stands on the borders between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

The Vaalserberg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvaːlsərˌbɛr(ə)x]; Limburgish: Vaolserberg [ˈvɒː˦˨lsəʀˌbæː˦˨˧ʀəx]) is a hill with a height of 322.4 metres (1,058 ft) above NAP that is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands. The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-easternmost edge of the country, near the town of Vaals (after which it is named).

The Vaalserberg was the highest point anywhere in the Netherlands until the Caribbean island of Saba, with its 887-metre-high (2,910-foot) volcano, was incorporated into the country as a "special municipality" in 2010.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Vaalserberg (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
321 m (1,053 ft)
Global rank
#623 of 641 indexed
Region
Europe (#77)
Countries
Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Coordinates
50.7601°, 6.0201°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Vaalserberg ranks #623 by elevation, below Mount Hillaby (340 m) and above Mount Bates (319 m).

Ranges:
Ardennes (Europe), Vosges (Europe)
Neighbouring summits:
Signal de Botrange (694 m)
Settlements below:
Liège (34 km), Hasselt (44 km), Namur (87 km)

View on the live map

Rivers in Belgium

2 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in Belgium
NameType
MaasRiver
ScheldeRiver

Ports in Belgium

6 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Belgium
#NameChannel Depth
1Nieuwpoort56.7 m
2Bruxelles53 m
3Oostende49.4 m
4Zeebrugge38.4 m
5Antwerpen34.7 m
6Ghent34.7 m

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belgium

11 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

See all 11 World Heritage Sites →
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belgium
#NameInscribed
1Béguinages in Flanders1998
2Grand-Place1998
3lifts on the old Canal du Centre1998
4Belfries of Belgium and France1999
5Historic Centre of Brugge2000
6Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta2000
7Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes2000
8Tournai Cathedral2000
9Museum Plantin-Moretus2005
10Stoclet Palace2009

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Belgium

2 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Belgium
#NameArea
1Europe11.24M km²
2Ardennes11,497 km²
Ardennes
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Ardennes

Range/mtn · 11,497 km²

Ardennes is a range/mtn in Europe, covering an estimated 11,497 km². It extends across Belgium, France and Luxembourg.

The Ardennes, also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.

Geologically, the range is a western extension of the Eifel; both were raised during the Givetian age of the Devonian (382.7 to 387.7 million years ago), as were several other named ranges of the same greater range.

The Ardennes proper stretches well into Germany and France (lending its name to the Ardennes department and the former Champagne-Ardenne region) and geologically into the Eifel (the eastern extension of the Ardennes Forest into Bitburg-Prüm, Germany); most of it is in the southeast of Wallonia, the southern and more rural part of Belgium (away from the coastal plain but encompassing more than half of the country's total area). The eastern part of the Ardennes forms the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, also called "Éislek" (German: Oesling). On the southeast the Eifel region continues into the German state of the Rhineland-Palatinate.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Ardennes (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Feature class
Range/mtn
Mapped extent
11,497 km²
Size rank
#147 of 216 mountain ranges
Region
Europe
Countries
Belgium, France, Luxembourg
Coordinates
49.9430°, 4.9037°
Summits:
Signal de Botrange (694 m), Vaalserberg (321 m)
Adjacent ranges:
Vosges (Europe), Jura (Europe)
Settlements:
Namur (50 km), Arlon (62 km), Charleroi (65 km)

View on the live map

More about Ardennes

Geography

Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with the hills averaging around 350–400 m (1,150–1,310 ft) in height but rising to over 694 m (2,277 ft) in the boggy moors of the High Fens region of south-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by swift-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its most populous cities are Verviers in Belgium and Charleville-Mézières in France, both exceeding 50,000 inhabitants. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated, with few of the towns exceeding 10,000 inhabitants. (Exceptions include Belgium's Eupen and Bastogne.)

The Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.

Geology

The Ardennes are the remnants of a mountain range formed during the Hercynian orogeny; in France similar formations are the Armorican Massif, the Massif Central, and the Vosges. The low interior of such former mountains often contains coal, plus iron, zinc and other metals in the sub-soil. This geologic fact explains the greatest part of the geography of Wallonia and its history. In the North and West of the Ardennes lie the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, forming an arc (Sillon industriel) going across the most industrial provinces of Wallonia, for example Hainaut Province, along the river Haine (the etymology of Hainaut); the Borinage, the Centre and Charleroi along the river Sambre; Liège Province along the river Meuse.

History

The modern Ardennes region covers a greatly diminished area from the forest recorded in Roman times.

A song about Charlemagne, the Old French 12th-century chanson de geste Quatre Fils Aymon, mentions many of Wallonia's rivers, villages and other places. In Dinant the rock named Bayard takes its name from Bayard, the magic bay horse which, according to legend, jumped from the top of the rock to the other bank of the Meuse.

On their pillaging raids in the years 881 and 882, the Vikings used the old Roman roads in the Ardennes, attacking the abbeys of Malmedy and Stavelot and destroying Prüm Abbey in the Eifel.

The strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for many centuries.

Economy

The Ardennes includes the greatest part of Belgium's Luxembourg Province (not to be confused with the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), the south of Namur Province, and Liège Province, plus a very small part of Hainaut Province, as well as the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, called "Éislek" (German: Ösling) and the main part of the French Ardennes department.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ardennes (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ardennes: Key Facts

Key facts about Ardennes
Length160 km
Highest pointSignal de Botrange
Part ofRhenish Massif

Facts from Wikidata Q151985 (CC0).

Countries Bordering Belgium

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Europe

Belgium: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Belgium?
The capital of Belgium is Brussels.
What is the population of Belgium?
Belgium has a population of about 11.94 million, the #82 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Belgium?
Belgium covers 30,688 km², ranking #142 by area, with about 389 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Belgium in?
Belgium is in Europe.
Which countries border Belgium?
Belgium shares a land or maritime border with Luxembourg, France, Germany.
What is the largest city in Belgium?
Brussels is the largest city in Belgium, with a metropolitan population of about 1.74 million.
What is the highest mountain in Belgium?
The highest summit recorded for Belgium in YearMaps is Signal de Botrange at 694 m (2,277 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.